Tape feeder and tape feeder cabinet

Abstract

A gear unit 40 includes: a sprocket 32 including pins 31 provided on a periphery thereof and a final gear 42 ; and one or more transmission gears disposed between a drive motor 33 and the final gear 42 . The pins 31 engage with feed holes provided at equal pitches in a carrier tape. A sensor 48 which detects an angle is provided to face a transmission gear, of the one or more transmission gears, of which a rotation ratio to the final gear 42 is 1:N (N is a positive integer).

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A tape feeder in which a carrier tape retaining electronic components is pitch-fed by a gear unit so as to supply an electronic component to a pickup position of an electronic component mounting apparatus, the gear unit comprising:
 a sprocket which comprises pins provided on a periphery thereof and a final gear, the pins meshing with feed holes provided at equal pitches in the carrier tape; and 
 at least one transmission gear disposed between a drive motor and the final gear, 
 wherein a sensor which detects an angle of one of the at least one transmission gear is provided to face the one of the at least one transmission gear, wherein a rotation ratio of the one of the at least one transmission gear to the final gear is 1:1 and the one of the at least one transmission gear directly meshes with the final gear. 
 
     
     
       2. The tape feeder according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein a drive gear provided on an output shaft of the drive motor is provided on an opposite side to the sprocket with respect to a center line of the tape feeder in a width direction. 
 
     
     
       3. A tape feeder gear unit which pitch-feeds a carrier tape retaining electronic components so as to supply an electronic component to a pickup position of an electronic component mounting apparatus, said tape feeder gear unit comprising:
 a sprocket which comprises pins provided on a periphery thereof and a final gear, the pins meshing with feed holes provided at equal pitches in the carrier tape; and 
 at least one transmission gears disposed between a drive motor and the final gear, 
 wherein a sensor which detects an angle of one of the at least one transmission gear is provided to face the one of the at least one transmission gear, wherein a rotation ratio of the one of the at least one transmission gear to the final gear is 1:1 and the one of the at least one transmission gear directly meshes with the final gear. 
 
     
     
       4. The tape feeder gear unit according to  claim 3 , comprising a control unit which:
 rotationally drives the sprocket by the drive motor; 
 acquires angle information of the sensor provided in the transmission gear for each of angles with which one full rotation of the sprocket is divided equally, and angle information obtained from a motor encoder provided inside the drive motor; 
 creates a correction table for rotating the sprocket at each of the angles based on the angle information of the sensor and the angle information of the drive motor; and 
 rotationally controls the drive motor using the correction table. 
 
     
     
       5. The tape feeder gear unit according to  claim 4 , wherein the control unit:
 acquires angle information of the sensor provided in the at least one transmission gear whenever the drive motor is rotationally driven at a constant angle; and 
 creates a correction table based on angle error information between a theoretical rotation angle of the drive motor and the angle information of the absolute sensor.